By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 20: Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap today criticised Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s call for contract price reviews, saying it appears to shift responsibility away from years of unlawful practices of overloading commercial vehicles.
Yap emphasised that overloading is illegal, dangerous and has burdened taxpayers for years, and no political narrative should excuse or justify long-standing non-compliance.
He said the core issue lies not with enforcement, but the long-standing problem of illegal overloading that has created serious safety risks and inflicted extensive damage on Sarawak’s roads, costing the public millions in repeated repairs.
“A wrong is still a wrong. Overloading is illegal and dangerous. It has burdened taxpayers for years, and stricter enforcement is the right policy,” he stressed in a statement.
He added that the current enforcement drive is not sudden, but part of a nationwide initiative led by Transport Minister Anthony Loke, who has consistently maintained that enforcement will continue and that road safety must never be compromised.
“It is therefore inconsistent for DAP Sarawak to criticise the consequences of enforcement when the enforcement itself is directed by a DAP Minister,” he added.
According to Yap, the Ministry of Transport has long highlighted overloading as a widespread problem across the country, requiring firm action to protect road users.
He said Chong’s call for contract price reviews risks ignoring the root cause of rising transport costs, which is operators finally complying with the law.
“This is not a flaw in policy, but a correction of past wrongdoing,” Yap said.
Yap also questioned why Chong is focusing only on government contracts. “If he genuinely believes transport cost increases are a universal burden, why is he not urging the private sector to also review and raise their contracted transport rates? Why should taxpayers alone bear the cost?”
He stressed that contractors should not expect the public to absorb cost increases stemming from long-term illegal overloading. Genuine hardship cases should be assessed responsibly through proper procedures.
“Any legitimate impact must be supported by evidence, verification and financial process, not blanket adjustments driven by political pressure,” he said.
Yap further emphasised that Sarawak has suffered disproportionately from overloaded heavy vehicles, with road repairs consuming significant state resources each year.
“We must not turn an enforcement matter into a vote-seeking opportunity. Enforcement protects lives and preserves public infrastructure. I fully support strict enforcement and the contractors who comply with the law,” he said.
Reaffirming his commitment to fairness, safety and responsible use of public funds, Yap said political statements cannot rewrite the fact that overloading is both illegal and harmful. — DayakDaily
